
March Madness fever is taking off at Robert Morris University as team punches ticket to NCAA Tournament
Robert Morris beat Youngstown State 89-78 on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Horizon League tournament and have earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.
The environment on campus for the game was electric with students cheering on their fellow classmates.
"I'm just so proud, you know," said senior student Kendall Funk. "Watching them for four years, it's just so cool to see how hard they've worked and how much work they've put in through the season and just to see that pay off. It makes me so happy."
"Very emotional and very exciting," said junior student Samantha Shahinin. "When I first came into RMU, the football team wasn't that good. Not the best basketball season either. So like, coming in, it was really amazing to see the difference and the growth in our athletic department."
"Coming up, we're going to do a time capsule event for our class," said sophomore student Micah Blackwell. "So it's like the first, kind of like the first in RMU history. And I feel like moments like these, these are moments I want to capture."
"I remember watching and my dad's like 'Wow. They're doing real good this year.," said junior student Bryn Krason. "And I'm like oh yeah, they're doing good. But I never thought I would have a chance to like, every year I make a bracket. I never thought I would actually put like, RMU on the bracket. So now this year I'm putting RMU on the bracket!"
The Colonials now await the fate of Selection Sunday when they'll find out where they're seeded in the NCAA Tournament along with their opponent and when and where they'll play their first-round game.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
19 hours ago
- USA Today
NCAA Softball Tournament reportedly to seed 32 teams beginning with 2026 tournament
Following another exciting college softball season, the NCAA is doubling the number of teams it will seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. According to Softball America, softball will follow the format of college volleyball and women's soccer with the seeding of 32 teams. Only the top 16 seeds, which hosted the regional, were previously seeded. In theory, the committee is seeking to reward the top seeds with "easier" matchups. REQUIRED READING: Texas Longhorns power couple pushes each other in football, softball However, to protect teams from having to travel too much for regionals, the 1-32 seedings will not be straight up to protect 400-mile geographic proximity parameters and avoid same-conference matchups in the regionals. The No. 1-4 national seeds will play seeds Nos. 29-32; however, an adjustment will be made if it pairs two conference opponents who are scheduled to meet one another. There will not be a seeding for the rest of the 64-team field. National seed buckets Here's a look at how the national seed matchups will be determined, based on the No. 1-32 seed rankings: How the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament would be impacted If the 2025 NCAA Tournament followed the seeding based on the 1-32 ranking, this is how the field would have looked: Future NCAA Softball Tournament changes According to Softball America, the NCAA Committee will continue to examine other issues when it meets in November. Here's a look at other changes currently under consideration:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden ranked No. 10 in Top 50 coaches list. Is that too low?
College Basketball Report released its Top 50 coaches in college basketball on August 14. Coming off leading Florida basketball to a national championship, Florida basketball coach Todd Golden cracked the top 10 of the list at No. 10. Overall, Golden is 76-33 in three seasons with the Florida Gators, with two NCAA Tournament appearances. At 39 years old last April, Golden became the youngest coach since the late Jim Valvano in 1983 to win a national title when he guided UF to a dramatic 65-63 win over Houston in the 2025 national title game. Of the nine coaches ranked ahead of Golden, only three have won national championships. Dan Hurley, ranked No. 1, led UConn to back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. Rick Pitino, at No. 4, led Kentucky to a national title in 1996 and Louisville to a national championship in 2013. Bill Self, at No. 6, led Kansas to national titles in 2008 and 2022. Nate Oats, who led Alabama to one Final Four in 2024 and Bruce Pearl, who led Auburn to Final Fours in 2019 and 2025, are ranked seventh and eighth. Golden is 4-2 head-to-head against Oats and 3-2 head-to-head against Pearl. Given those results, Golden should probably be ranked at least ahead of Oats, if not Pearl, and closer to the top five range. Of course, Golden will get a chance to further cement his status as an elite coach in 2025-26, with starting foward Alex Condon, starting center Rueben Chinyelu and star sixth man Thomas Haugh returning in an effort to defend UF's national title. UF opens the 2025-26 season against Arizona in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov, 3. Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@ Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators' national championship basketball season in 'CHOMP-IONS!' — a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Sun. Details at This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball coach Todd Golden ranked in Top 10 in national coaches list


Business Wire
6 days ago
- Business Wire
Great Clips, Inc. Names Rob Goggins President and Chief Executive Officer
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Great Clips, the world's largest salon brand, today announced the promotion of Rob Goggins to President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2026, succeeding Steve Hockett, who will retire at the end of 2025. 'We are excited to welcome Rob Goggins as the next CEO of Great Clips, Inc. to guide our future success and continue to grow our position as the world's leading salon brand,' said Rhoda Olsen, Vice Chair of the Board for Great Clips, Inc. 'We are confident that Rob's long-standing franchisee experience and his understanding of the Great Clips brand will allow him to uniquely execute strategic, growth-driving initiatives to continue accelerating salon-level results for our 600+ franchisees across the United States and Canada.' Over the last seven years as President of Great Clips, Inc., Rob has overseen expansion, talent, learning and development, business intelligence and technology, operations, legal, finance, and marketing and communications. During that time, Rob has led a series of initiatives focused on integrating innovative technologies and enhancing operations to support franchisees, stylists and the customer experience. Recent initiatives include the launch of ReadyNext® text alerts, updates to the Great Clips mobile app that has surpassed 25 million downloads, virtual training options for stylists and the introduction of a remodeled design for salons across the U.S. and Canada. Prior to serving as President, Rob held a variety of leadership positions at Great Clips, Inc. including Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development, and Vice President of Development. 'I would also like to thank and recognize Steve Hockett for his tremendous contributions not only as CEO but for his more than 35 years working across various aspects of our business to deliver strong results for our brand and franchisees,' continued Olsen. 'Under Steve's leadership, Great Clips generated 61 consecutive quarters of salon sales growth, helped our franchisees manage through and ultimately thrive following a global pandemic as well as extend our brand into culturally relevant partnerships such as the National Hockey League, College Football Playoff, and March Madness to connect with millions of consumers.' Hockett began his Great Clips career as a franchisee in 1988 before being hired by Great Clips, Inc. in 1992 as a Marketing Manager and later serving as Regional Director and Vice President of Operations. After serving as president of FranChoice, Inc. and then Rapid Refill Corp., he rejoined Great Clips, Inc. in 2008 as Vice President of Operations and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Additionally, Kerry Bundy will be promoted from Vice President of Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Chief Legal Officer, reporting to Goggins. In addition to continuing to lead the legal, franchise administration, and compliance functions, Kerry will take on an expanded role in franchise industry government relations. Kerry previously worked for more than 20 years at the Faegre Drinker law firm, including serving on their management board. About Great Clips, Inc. Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has over 4,400 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world's largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100 percent franchised, and salons are owned locally by more than 600 franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. Great Clips franchisees employ more than 30,000 stylists. Great Clips franchised salons provide value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. Getting a great haircut at a Great Clips salon is more convenient than ever with Online Check-In, ReadyNext® text alerts and Clip Notes ®. To check in online, visit or download the free app. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit